By all accounts, Leto threw himself into the role with method mania, reportedly sending a letter and video to fellow stars apologising for not joining them for early rehearsals, accompanying his missive with a live rat for Margot Robbie (his on-screen paramour, Harley Quinn), some bullets for Will Smith (Deadshot) and a dead pig for the entire cast. Warner suits, aware of the potency such a blend of recent Oscar-winner and iconic role would bring to the table, must have been head over heels at the publicity.

This is not Hot Toys' first rendition of the Joker, as there are versions ranging from the Batman '66 take, to figures not seen in the actual films -- including figures that were sculpted in the "spirit of the movie." The latest newest version captures Leto's looks with a newly painted head-sculpt, featuring a more serious "smile." For all you Suicide Squad fans out there, you've finally stumbled to the right place—a place where the misunderstood, mischievous, and yeah, let's face it, a little bit evil people can come to find some serious Suicide Squad refuge. Sperling, Nicole (April 15, 2016). "Jared Leto dives deep to play The Joker in Suicide Squad". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016 . Retrieved April 17, 2016.The whole point of the Suicide Squad — a covert team of super-powered criminals who are given the chance to complete a dangerous mission (or die trying) in exchange for clemency — is that they’re disposable. Superman can’t be permanently extinguished, at least not narratively, but a C-list supervillain can bite it at any moment. So, it makes sense that The Suicide Squad, James Gunn’s new reboot/soft sequel of the ever-maligned Suicide Squad, has a wide cast of obscure characters who are destined to perish almost immediately. The DCEU marks the fourth time the Joker has been cinematically adapted for live-action, while Leto is the first actor to portray the character in more than one film. Joker manipulates psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel ( Margot Robbie) into falling in love with him during his time as a patient in Arkham Asylum, eventually managing to convince her to free him, and repeatedly electrocutes her before taking her to Ace Chemicals. Quinzel gracefully falls into the solution that created Joker to prove her loyalty to him, which bleaches her skin and completes her transformation into Harley Quinn. [18]

Harley Quinn isn’t the only returning member of the Squad. Viola Davis reprises her role as Amanda Waller, the government operative who runs Task Force X — the Suicide Squad’s official name. Waller first appeared in the comics in the mid-’80s and gained a reputation as one of the more powerful and intimidating non-superhero characters in the fictional universe. This is a woman who will stare down anybody — hero, villain, shark — without flinching. Her goals, and the goals of Task Force X, don’t always overlap with what DC’s superheroes might want, making her an intriguing, morally grey figure. Goldberg, Matt (March 20, 2016). "These Two Batman Villains Came Close to Being in 'Batman v Superman' ". Collider. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn has a strong enough presence onscreen that her next appearance in a DC film, probably in her solo movie alongside Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, shouldn’t involve a romantic interest at all. As for Joker, he’s probably a better temporary boyfriend than people give him credit for. Even if he isn’t a very creative texter — there’s no way the Clown Prince of Crime would text something as innocuous and boring as “I’m coming for you be ready” — he does seem to value something in Harley that other male characters don’t: her internal mind, though admittedly he Frankensteined her into what she is. He probably loves the way Harley thinks because he conditioned her to think that way.

Maybe that explains why Harley has become a better selling character than Wonder Woman, who is a feminist and often the smartest and strongest person in the room. She’s the hero you aspire to be, while Harley is a more imperfect reflection of oneself. So it should come as no surprise that the character's live-action debut in Suicide Squad is a much bigger deal than Wonder Woman’s debut in last March's in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Hot Toys – MMS373 – Suicide Squad – 1/6th scale The Joker (Arkham Asylum Version) Collectible Figure Specification And yet Harley has only become more popular. Since 2014, her solo series and other appearances have outsold those of more long-running icons like Wonder Woman and Superman. And I’ve often wondered why. It's easy to see why Harley Quinn is popular with men, especially as she's become more sexualized. But as male writers continue to struggle with her inherent contradictions, her popularity among women—she’s a cosplay staple at comic conventions—is more complicated. There are so many cool characters, I think the movie and plot would have been better served if this had been Part I of a series, rather a stand alone movie.

The original comics version of Weasel was a man, not a rodent. John Monroe made his debut in a 1985 issue of Firestorm, and he was essentially a meek guy who got fed up with people ignoring him or dismissively calling him “a weasel.” He takes revenge on those whom he perceives to have wronged him by dressing up as a weasel and murdering them, as one does. A later version of the character was more animalistic, but he was still a guy. The Suicide Squad’s version of Weasel is actually just be a big weasel. Kroll, Justin (December 2, 2014). " 'Suicide Squad' Cast Revealed: Jared Leto to Play the Joker, Will Smith is Deadshot". Variety . Retrieved December 6, 2014.But when DC finally introduced Harley Quinn to the comic books, they didn’t seem to know what to do with her, struggling to find the right tone in a more adult medium. Part of this is an issue between the mediums. In a worthwhile and in-depth essay on the character on Vulture, writer Abraham Riesman makes a good point: Batman: The Animated Series was a children’s show, which meant that while the Joker is still criminally insane, he’s not the mass-murdering, ultra-violent sociopath we see in the comics (or even as played by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight). Harley being in love with the Joker of the comics changes the tenor of her character and how we view her. “On the other hand, if you move her away from the Joker, you remove her defining relationship. It would be like writing years' worth of Joker stories that didn't involve Batman: empty and confusing,” Riesman writes. I disagree with Riesman here. If anything, moving Harley away from this relationship (and any she uses as a crutch) is tantamount to the evolution the character desperately needs. Characters can evolve quite dramatically in the comics—it’s the nature of medium. So, why can’t Harley? I read an article that stated David Ayer only had six weeks to put a script together and it unfortunately it shows. I felt like I was watching a long trailer - cool and fun scenes that were disconnected from each other. Harley gets praised for being flawed in ways a lot of other female characters don’t, like that paragon of feminist perfection, Wonder Woman. You can find many pieces online arguing how her character is nuanced and even empowered, many of which are written by female fans . The Thinker first appeared as a Flash villain in 1943, where he was a man by the name of Clifford DeVoe who used a “thinking cap” to turn his thoughts into force. Another version of the Thinker, Clifford Carmichael, debuted in the late ’70s and was a foe to the hero Firestorm. This version implanted parts of the original Thinker’s cap directly into his brain. The movie version of The Thinker is neither of these two characters. He is a new version named Gaius Grieves, one seemingly inspired by a more recent version of the character from the early 2010s. This Thinker’s real name is unknown in the comics, but he has incredible intelligence and predictive abilities at the expense of his own body’s health.

If you’re a reader who balks at the idea of being alternately worshipped and “punished”, well, I don’t know to tell you. Maybe read up on sub/dom play. What’s going on in Suicide Squad isn’t as healthy and fun as sub/dom games, but it’s definitely borrowing from that realm of sexuality. Joker and Harley are to actual BDSM-loving couples as Jai Courtney is to Tom Hardy. For the third time, Margot Robbie proves that she is the best portrayal of Harley Quinn and I cannot imagine anyone other than her as Harley Quinn. She presents the beauty, craziness, and wildness of the character. Idris Alba really surprised me. His character was very well written and Idris played it so right. The real surprise was John Cena. Personally, I don't like Cena's acting. But, in this film his acting was alright and the thing that helped him is how good his character (Peacemaker) is written. Especially that Peacemaker has a huge impact on the story of the film and the future of DCEU. Daniela Melchior gave the film such a warm/soft vibe and her acting was well done especially in the emotional scenes. The whole cast was just amazing and each actor/actress played their role perfectly. Review: Harley Quinn's star is born amid sloppy 'Suicide Squad' ". August 5, 2016 . Retrieved August 20, 2016. Durmaraog, Anna (March 20, 2020). "Why Jared Leto Doesn't Play Joker In Birds of Prey". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 23, 2020.Flesch, Eli (August 4, 2016). " 'Suicide Squad': Jared Leto Teases Joker Scenes That Were Cut From the Movie". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 31, 2016.